Can feeding and righting machine.



PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.

M. D.- BLAKESLEE. CAN FEEDING AND RIGHTING MACHINE.

1 APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908 s SHEETS-SHEBT 2 V N M. D. BLAKESLEE. CANFEEDING AND RIGHTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MARJ, 1907.

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l l W 7% 9 f vsfl a Hy, P 7 04 kry PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908 v M. D.BLAKESLEE. CAN FEEDING AND RIGHTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR/5, 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MER-TON D. BLAKESLEE, OF CAZENOVIA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TOHENRY BURDEN, SECOND, OF OAZENOVIA, NEW YORK.

OAN FEEDING AND RIGH'I ING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I; MnRToN D. BLAKES- LEE, of Oazenovia, in the countyof Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Can Feeding and Fighting Machines, of which thefollowing, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in can righting machinesembodying the mechanism shown in my pending application No. 337,319filed October 3, 1906, in which a pair of rotary cam feeding elementsact. upon the cans as they are successively fed thereto to feed them oneby one, right end up, into an underlying chute from which they areconveyed to one or more fillers, not shown.

One of the objects, therefore, of my present invention is to providemeans whereby alternate cans may be automatically deposited right sideup in separate chutesI A further object is to provide means whereby thecongestion or stoppage of the cans in one of the chutes causes acessation of the operation of the righting device. In other words, Ihave provided a slipfeed driving mechanism for the rotary can rightingdevice, which under a predetermined resistance acting directly orindirectly upon the rotary can-feeding elements, causes said elements tostop without unduly straining the same and still permitting the actionof the driving means.

Other objects and uses relating to th specific structure of the variousmechanisms will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a top plan of a can righting deviceembodying the various features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front Ielevation of the same showing portions of the can chute in section, Fig.3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 3--3, Fig. 2.Fig. 4 side elevation of a portion of one of the can chutes showing thesli -iee .l controlling finger partly in section.

Fig. is a sectional view taken on line 5-5,

Fig. 4.

in carrying out the objects stated, the cans are fed in any suitablemanner into the upper end of an inclined chute -l along which they rollby gravity onto a yielding Specification-of Letters Patent. Applicationfiled arch 6. 1907. Serial No. 360.660.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

platform 2 and against an abutment -3 at the lower end of the chute 1and between two parallel shafts 4, and

they are successively deposited one by one .upon the yielding support-2- and against the abutment 3, the free ends of said arms travelingbetween the yielding support -2 and said abutment 3 in the upper end ofthe can chute-8.

It is now clear that the-cans are fed one by one into the open upper endof the chute 8- with their ends facing the opposite shafts4 which are spaced apart a su flicient distance to permit the cans to pass freelybetween them as they are fed downwardly by the rotation of the arms5.against the upper side of the cans, the yielding su port 2- and stop 3:being so relativeiy arranged with reference to the axis of revolution ofthe feeding cans -5-- that as the latter are rotated toward oppositeends of the cans, their extremities, or rather the roller bearings onsaid extremities simul taneously engage the top face of the can near itsends, and as the rotation of said arms continues their outer endsapproach each other and roll along the top face of the cans, at the sametime depressing said can and its yielding support 2- against the actionof a retracting spring 9- for said yielding support. Each of these arms5 of one shaft co-acts with one of the other arms on the other shaft tofeed the present can downwardl'y into the chute 8 and as soon as oneco-acting pair of arms have forced one of the cans in the chute theother co-acting pair performs a similar operation upon the next andtheir can feeding arms may rotate in uni,

son or in synchrony they are geared. together by intermeshing gears -10rigid on their res ective shafts 4.

he arms -5 of each shaft are arranged in radial alinement with eachother, and therefore, travel in the same plane, and are clamped orotherwise secured to a central hub -l 1 on their respective shafts, eachhub being provided with a pair of diametrically opposite can rightingfingers 12 as best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, there being one can rightingfinger for each of the arms 5. These arms '5 andtheir correspondingrighting fingers 12 travel in planes substantially coincident with thelengthwise centers of the cans, and each arm and its companion rightinglinger are so relatively arranged that when the roller 6 at the outerend of the arm 5 engages the top face of the can, the outer end of thefinger 12- engages or enters the opening in the adjacent end of the can,some of the cans having their open ends facing in one direction, andothers having their open ends facing in the opposite direction so thatthose with their bottoms or closed ends facing one of the projectingrighting fingers 12- are engaged by said righting fingers and movedaxially, thereby causing the righting fingers at the opposite end of thecan to enter the open ends of said cans a sufficient distance so thatwhen the cans are fed downwardly by the outer ends of the arms 5: theopen ends of the cans will be temporarily supported upon the adjacentrighting fingers 12 causing said can to tilt with its bottom downwardinto the upper end of the chute -8, and as the righting finger, togetherwith its companion feeding arm 5- continues to rotate, the rightingfinger is withdrawn from the open end of the can, allowing the latter tofal by gravity, right side up, into the In this class of machines it isdesirable that every other can which is deposited right side up into thechute --8 be fed into a separate chute, and I have therefore providedthe lower end of the chute 8- with two branch chutes 14- and 14 and anoscillatory deflector gate or plate 15' hinged at 16-- at the junctionof the branch chutes 14 and 14 some distance below the lower end of thechute 8 and havingits upper end movable back and forth into and out ofengagement with opposite sides of the lower end of said chute 8- so thatwhen it is moved to one extremeposition, the cans which are fed into thechute 8 will be deflected into one of thechutes, as 14, and when saidgate is moved to the other extreme position the cans are fed ordeflected into the other chute 14, and vice versa.

As previously stated, the cans as they are successively righted anddischarged into the chute ,8 are alternately precipitated intotheseparate chutes 14 and 14 and in ends of said arms being connected bychains 1S- and 18 respectively to rocking levers 19 and 19 which arepivoted at 20- and 20 respectively to the upper end of the hopper eachbelow one of the shafts e.'

Each shaft is provided with a disk 2 2 having an eccentric pin or stud-23 which travels in the path of one of the arms of the lever -19- saideccentric pins 23 and their companion levers l9 being so relativelyarranged that when the eccentric pin 23- engages and operates one of therock levers-19 similar motion is transmitted by the chain 18 and lever17 to the rocking shaft 16 and to the deflecting plate or gate 15- whichis rigid upon the g5 rock-shaft, thereby throwing the free end of i saidgate to one side of the lower end of the chute 18- causing the cans toslide along the gate 15 into one of the chutes, as 14-..

During this action, the other rock-arm, as

19, is drawn into position by the lever 17 and chain 18 to be engaged bythe pin 23. of the opposite disk, whereupon the action of the gate 15-is reversed to cause the next can to be deflected into the other chute,as 14-. In order that this alterhate feeding of successive cans intoseparate chutes may be automatically and successively carried out eacheccentric pin 23 engages and operates its companion lever, as

19-, one-half revolution in advance of the other eccentric pin, which ismade necessary because of the fact that two cans are successivelyrighted and discharged into the chute 8 at each revolution of the shafts-.4

to which the disks .-22- carrying the eccen trio pins 23- are secured.

It sometimes happens from' one cause or another, as for instance, fromthe stoppage of the can-filling machine, not shown, but to which thecans are fed from the chutes 14, that the cans will collect andlbecomecongested in said chutes, under which conditions it .is desirable toprovide means for automatically stopping the further feed of the cans bythe righting device, and for this pur ose I have mounted upon one of thesha ts +4- a slip-feed connection consisting of a pulley -30- and afriction disk -3 1-,

the pulley 30' being loosely mounted upon the shaft --4 while thefriction disk 31, is ri id thereon and is yieldingly pressed intoictional engagement with the adjacent face of the ulley -30' -by aspring 32, said pu ey being held from endwlse movement by a collar -33also rigid on the shaft t'.

The spring '32 is interposed between the adjacent gear 10-':.wand a hubon the adjacent end of the disk 3 1 and so ten- In order that the actionof the can righting mechanism may not be interfered with or impaired bythe congestionof the cans in the termed a stop-pawl -35 which is pivotedto a suitable sup ort 36-, in proximity to one side'of, one o the branchchutes, as 14, and has its free end movable through a slot S7 in theside of the chute into and out of the path of the canspassintherethrough,

said lever being thrown and eld to its normal position by aretracting' sring 38 and is connected atone end to a ever 40-.

Owing to the fact that the 'cans are fed alternately first into onechute and then into the other it is evident that the same number of'canswill be discharged into each for a given period of time, and, therefore,if one chute becomes clogged with cans the other will also becomeclogged so that it is necessary to provide but one stop lever as 35 forone of the chutes because this will effectively stop the feed of thecans to'both chutes. This latter lever {10 is fulcrumed at .-41 upon aportion of the main supporting frame A and is provided With a bearing42- at the opposite side of its fulcrum and adapted to be en aged by aneccentric stud 43: with whic each. of the gears is provided. Each ofthese studs 43 is presented at' the bearing face '42---- ahalfrevolution in advance of the other so as to cause'the o eration of thefinger 35 through the s 0t 37 and into the path of the can passingthrough the chute 1 at each half revolution of the shafts .4--, orrather as each can is su'ccessively fed into one or the other of the thechutc 14- and stop within the path of movement of the stop lever -3.5-the lever 35 will come in contact with the uppermost can'in. the chute,and its movement would thereby be limited, which would in turn, limitthe movement of the lever -40 through the chain connection 39 and thustemporarily stop the rotation of the gears ----i0--- and can feedingandrighting elements driven thereby while the driving pulley 30- couldcontinue to rotate in rictional slipping contact with the disk 31. l Theoperation of my inwrntion, briefly described, is as follower The cansare rolled chutes -14-, I have provided what may'be branch chutes 14 or14' so that if forv any reason the cans should accumulate in rolling.upon theyielding su port .2 and against'the stops 3 in t e-upper end ofthe chute where they are temporarily supported until engaged by theco-actirig arms '5-' of the rotary hand-feedingdevice, said arms forcingthe, cans one by one downwardly and depressing the support. 2*.'*againstthe action of the spring 9. During this downward movement of thecans the open ends are brought into alin'e'ment withone or the otherof'the co-acting righting. fingers 1-2 which enter saidv open ends ofthe cans and temporarily support them with their open ends uppermostwhile their bottoms gravitate downwardly until said righting fingers arewithdrawn from the cans w ereupon the righting'cans fall right side upinto the chute 8, alternate cans falling into the separate chutes 14 and14 by the shifting of the gate 15, as described. If for any reason thecans should accumulate in the branch chutespas for instance 14, insufficient numbers so that the upper one would rest in the ath of thelever 35 the movement of t e latter would be transmitted to the gears l0through the medium of a chain 39 and lever 40, thereby stop ping the canfeeding mechanism until the cans were again removed from the branchchutes, whereupon the can feeding mechanism would automatically resumeits operation.

What I claim is: 1. In a can feeding and righting machine, a chute,mechanism for rightingthe cans and feeding them one by one into thechute, a

driving element and slip-feed connections I between'the driving elementand said mechanisms, and additional mechanism brought into action by theaccumulations of cans in the chutefor stopping the can righting andfeeding mechanism irrespective of the driving element. e

2. In a can feeding and righting device, a chute, mechanism for rightingand feeding the cans into the chute, a movable deflector in the path ofthe righted cans for diverting alternate cans to different localities,automatic means for-operating said deflector, a mechanism brought intoaction by the accumulation of cans in the chute for stopping the canfeeding and righting mechanism.

3. In a can feeding and righting device, two rotary can feedingelements, can right ing-fingers on said elements, for entering the openends of the cans and temporarily holding them with their upper endsuppermost while their opposite ends gravitate down-1 iis ing the rightedcans, a stop finger movable finger and its actuating mechanism.

4. Ina can feeding and righting device, two rotary can-feeding elementsmounted on parallel axes spaced apart, means to feed the cans betweensaid elements, can-righting fingers on said elements for entering theopen ends of the cans and" temporarily holding them with their open endsuppermost While their opposite ends gravitate downwardly from thefingers, and a driving mechanism including a driving element, and afriction disk engaged therewith.

5. In a can feeding and righting device, a chute, and mechanism forrighting and'feeding the cans into the chute, a movable defiector in thepath of the right-ed cans for diverting alternate cans to differentlocalities, and automatic means for operating said deflector.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day ofFebruary, 1907.

MERTON D. BLAKESLEE. l/Vitnesses H. .E. CHASE,

MILDRED M. Now.

